Government Stops Operations of 'Kosh' and 'Hrazdan' Prisons, 280 Positions to Be Cut

The government made a decision during its session today, October 28, to cease the operations of the 'Kosh' and 'Hrazdan' correctional facilities under the Ministry of Justice of Armenia. Justice Minister Karen Andreasyan announced that this decision will save 1 billion 200 million drams in 2022.

“This is a very important starting point for further improvement of the correctional system. We have 12 prisons and if this project receives approval, we will have 10 prisons. By focusing on them and improving their conditions, we can further optimize the system to address human rights issues,” said the minister.

According to Andreasyan, there are currently 5,346 places available for the detained, but they are filled by only 2,113. “Almost all prisons are half-empty,” he noted.

The minister highlighted that 280 positions will be cut, which may cause some dissatisfaction. “But we have a task to implement certain vetting within the prisons. Of those 280 people, 70 will be transferred to other prisons, 50 will move to the Probation Service, while the rest will remain in the staff reserve,” the justice minister explained.

The justification for the decision states that by January 1, the distribution of sentenced individuals must be ensured to other correctional facilities according to their degree of isolation, as well as the transfer of detainees to other facilities.

It is mentioned that 'Hrazdan' prison is intended for the custody of 215 individuals (80 detainees and 135 sentenced individuals). Currently, there are approximately 157 individuals held there, including 69 detainees and 88 sentenced individuals (28 sentenced individuals are held in closed facilities, 57 in semi-closed institutions, while 3 in conditions intended for punitive measures). The occupancy rate is about 73%.

However, the facility has problematic holding conditions as it is located just a few meters away from neighboring residential buildings, which facilitates the smuggling of prohibited items.

Additionally, the constrained facilities do not allow for designated rooms for resocialization activities, hindering the implementation of the institution’s main functions. For the proper functioning of the prison intended for just 157 individuals, the Ministry of Justice's ‘Hrazdan’ prison currently has 120 staff positions. According to internationally accepted standards, one staff member is assigned to 3-4 sentenced individuals, whereas the balance in this case is somewhat disrupted, which does not align with the vision of proportional and objective distribution of positions across correctional facilities.

The maintenance of the facility costs the state budget 497,501,586 dram annually.

A new building is being constructed in the administrative area of the 'Sevan' prison for 'Hrazdan', designed to accommodate individuals under closed and semi-closed regimes and those held in facilities designated for punitive measures.

As for 'Kosh' prison, it is designed for the custody of 640 people (comprising two types of correctional facilities: semi-open for 615 people and open for 25 people). Currently, about 66 individuals are held there (all in the semi-open facility), meaning its occupancy rate stands at 10.3%. It is worth noting that such a low occupancy percentage has been stable over recent years.

Significantly, to properly perform the functions intended for only 66 individuals, the institution currently has 167 staff positions. Based on international standards, one staff member should be responsible for 3-4 sentenced individuals, but in this case, the balance is severely disrupted, which does not comply with the vision of proportional, objective, and optimal distribution of staff among correctional facilities. The annual budget allocation for the maintenance of this institution is 677,078,900 dram.

In this context, it is important to note that the cessation of the operations of the facility is also necessary from the perspective of efficient use of financial resources. This step is part of the optimization process.